Overnight more information has emerged about the impact of the Guatemala earthquake. Interestingly, this has seen the total number of lives lost adjusted downward to 42, with just two people reported missing. However, the loss of life from landslides has now risen to 28 with news that the largest single fatality event in the earthquake, the loss of ten lives from a single family, was due to a landslide in a quarry at San Cristóbal Cucho. The family consisted of the parents plus six children aged 14 and under. One additional member of the family, aged 19, survived because he was not in the quarry at the time.

This new information means that landslides are now known to have claimed 28 out of 44 likely deaths, i.e about 62%. Of these, 25 deaths appear to have occurred in three quarry collapses.

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About Dave

Dave Petley is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. His blog provides a commentary on landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.

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